


Oct. 29th, “I’m Doing This For You.”

by Morpheus626



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25063885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morpheus626/pseuds/Morpheus626
Summary: Fictober 2019.An argument, and some love.
Relationships: Merriell "Snafu" Shelton/Eugene Sledge
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Oct. 29th, “I’m Doing This For You.”

For the most part, they were lucky in that they rarely argued. Long, occasionally heated talks were the worst of it most of the time. 

This however, was not one of those times.

Admittedly, Snafu had a point. This move was incredibly last minute, and they had only barely discussed the idea of it. As much as he’d miss Alabama and being so near friends and family, the job that came with the move would be worth it. There just hadn’t been time to call Snafu to discuss the job offer and all it entailed, just enough time to say yes or no or risk losing an opportunity.

Snafu was in their bedroom, silently fuming as he hurriedly packed their things. There wasn’t much coming with them, but then not much would fit in the car after the dog and the five cat carriers were inside. 

“Let me help,” he tried, lingering at the bedroom doorway. 

“I got it,” Snafu replied brusquely. “Kitchen packed?” 

“Yeah,” he replied softly. 

“Good. You can go pack the guest bathroom up then.” 

“Please talk to me,” Eugene tried to keep his voice even, to not sound as miserable as he felt, but he hated this. The tension, the anger and frustration from both of them in the air. 

“No time to talk. We gotta be to San Francisco in what? Two days? If we drive and never make a stop, then we’ll just barely make it,” Snafu was terse, continuing to pack, refusing to stop and look up to meet Eugene’s gaze. 

“I told them there was no way we could be there that soon,” Eugene said. “They know that they’ll just have to make do until we get there, and that I’ll need a day to get settled-” 

“A day,” Snafu snapped a suitcase shut. “How generous. While I spend the following days unpacking and job searching and trying to get the kids acclimated to the new house all on my own.” 

“I’ll be home by six every night to help. I can cook every night, that way you can take a break and put your feet up. And on the weekends, I’ll be home all the time to help get us fully settled in.” 

Snafu finally turned to him, with tears in his eyes. “Then what? This job keeps asking last minute things of you, and none of that happens?” 

“No-” 

“It isn’t…” Snafu interrupted, sitting on their bed, now stripped of its blankets and sheets and pillows. “It isn’t so much the move itself. Whatever, we wanted a change anyway, were thinking about a trip. Meant a vacation more so, but this works too. It’s that you didn’t ask them for five minutes to quick call me. Even just to say ‘hey Snaf, a huge opportunity just landed in front of me, but it’s gonna be messy and require a lot of work and rushing from us, so be prepared’.” 

“That’s just it; this is a huge opportunity. A better one than I ever could have hoped for. More money…well, not as nice a place as this, but a new and bigger city to explore. I’m doing this for us…for you. I want to take care of you, of us, as best I possibly can, while enjoying what I do. I mean, I got my degree now so I could work at a job like this, damn it, I may as well use it,” he replied, hearing his voice rising but feeling wholly unable to stop it. 

“And good ole Snafu will just follow right along,” Snafu scoffed quietly. 

“No,” there was no stopping the tears now as he joined Snafu on the bed, wrapping him in a hug. “I mean-” 

“I will,” Snafu interrupted, sniffling as his own tears fell. “Because I love you, and I want you happy, and I want to be with you, always. But I need a promise from you, that any other big thing like this comes up again, and you’ll at least give me a heads-up.” 

“No, I’ll bring you in and discuss it first. What I should have done this time. I just got nervous they’d take the offer away if I hesitated at all, and didn’t answer immediately. But that isn’t worth this,” he replied. “It isn’t worth you upset and hurt. Nothing would ever be worth that.” 

Snafu relaxed against him, and for a moment they just sat, the house silent around them, somehow all the more encompassing as it lay now mostly empty of their belongings.

“I can’t blame you, really. Hadn’t even thought about them bein’ like that, about it bein’ just nerve-wracking. Gettin’ called in so late after you applied. I mean, you applied just before you graduated a few months back…” Snafu sighed. 

“Sorta figured they just didn’t want me and had filled the position by now,” he said. “So…I sort of panicked when they called me in and offered it. All those folks from the science department at that fancy university in San Francisco…staring me down, waiting for me to answer. But I still could have said I needed a min-” 

“Maybe so,” Snafu interrupted, turning just enough to reach up and play a bit with his hair. It was the same gesture he did whenever Eugene was sick or sad, and it was reassuring now. “But I should have thought about how tense it must have been for you too. I didn’t, but I should have.” 

The tension was gone just like that, and it was a relief to feel like he could breathe again. 

“We’re even?” Snafu asked with a small smile.

“Yeah,” Eugene smiled back. “36 hours in the car with the kids to get there…” 

“We’ll give ‘em breaks when we can,” Snafu replied. “It’ll be fine.” 

“They all hate the car,” Eugene laughed. “They’re gonna hate me too…what have I done…” 

“Nah! They’ll be okay in their carriers, and once we get there and they can roam the new house a bit, they’ll be golden. And they’ll love you just as much as before,” Snafu said, kissing the side of his mouth quickly. 

“…and there’s still so much packing. Can we just leave the rest of our stuff here?” 

Snafu laughed and shook his head as he moved out of Eugene’s grasp and up off the bed. “We got an empty house in San Francisco to fill! C’mon, if we stay sittin’ then we won’t wanna get it finished up. And we gotta get on the road soon!” 

He followed Snafu to the still-unpacked guest bathroom, pausing only to carefully grab Snafu and pull him back for a kiss. 

“Love you too, Sledgehammer,” Snafu’s smile was the best assurance that it would all be okay, that he wasn’t making a mistake with this huge leap. And the use of his nickname just made him melt. “Now, let’s get the rest of this house packed. We’ve given San Francisco more than enough time to get ready for us, and we don’t wanna keep her waiting.” 


End file.
